Submitted photos

A late rally kept an impressive run going for a group of young McKinleyville baseball players this week.

In their final season playing together, the Mack Junior All-Stars found themselves trailing going into the sixth inning of a championship showdown against Eel River in the District 26 tournament in Fortuna on Tuesday evening.

But these players have won a lot of games together and that experience paid off as they rallied to score nine late runs to secure a 13-5 victory.

The District title is the sixth straight for three of those players — Teoh Arrendondo, Breyden Brock and Colton Hawkes — who have been playing alongside each other and impressing since they first began playing T-Ball together.

It was also the sixth District championship for manager Jaime Arredondo and assistant coach Kirby Hawkes, who have been with the players every step of the way

“This was kind of bittersweet,” Jaime Arredondo said. “I was glad to be a part of this. I’ve been proud to represent McKinleyville and proud of these three kids.”

All of that experience made a difference in Tuesday’s tourney decider.

So too did the play of the team’s outfielders.

“Our pitchers kind of kept us in games, but honestly I want to give huge credit to our outfielders,” the McKinleyville manager said. “Our outfielders made a ton of plays. It was pretty impressive.”

Five players took the field in the outfield at various times over the three games — a group that includes Nate Ryan, Cody Poff, Calen Ponte, Zayd Sandifer and Aidan Irving — and all of them made their presence felt.

Ty Wade got the start on the mound in Tuesday’s final and pitched well, before Colton Hawkes took over and closed out the game.

The McKinleyville players also showed a lot of patience and a keen eye at the plate, drawing 31 walks over their three games and striking out just six times.

“Our bats were composed,” Jaime Arredondo said. “The kids are listening and paying attention. And that was a big part of our success, being composed at the plate and not just swinging.”

Submitted photo – Coaches Jaime Arredondo and Kirby Hawkes, and players Breyden Brock, Teoh Arredondo and Colton Hawkes (pictured with batboy Enzo Arredondo) won a sixth District championship on Tuesday.

Two other players also played key roles on the path to success.

Cooper Jones closed out the first game on the hill and helped secure an all-important opening victory, while also impressing at second base over the weekend.

“He showed a ton of heart,” the McKinleyville manager said. “And he went out and did his job.”

So too did Rowdy Furber, who held down first base and “played excellent,” according to his manager.

“He’s a great teammate,” Jaime Arredondo said of Furber. “That’s the kind of kid you want on your team.”

Tatum Brock rounded out the talented roster and also played a key role for the team all weekend at third base, while Jaime Arredondo was helped by assistant coaches Brian Wade and Joe Ponte, as well as always present batboy Enzo Arredondo.

The McKinleyville Junior All-Stars will now turn their attention to next week’s section tournament at Shasta Lake, as they look to follow a sixth straight District championship with a sixth straight trip to the NorCal state tournament.

“We’re excited,” Jaime Arredondo said. “We’ll go out there and keep grinding.

“We’re ready, we’re prepared. We’ve got everybody available and hopefully we’ll keep playing the way we’ve been playing.”

The Section tournament gets under way next Thursday.